I am a musician that has just finished recording my band. I am about to send the music off to be replicated onto CDs (not CD-Rs) from a glass master. I must send the replication house a Redbook compliant CD that meets certain error specifications (and can verify the number of errors). I know there is software out there that I can purchase that will do this but I am wondering if there is any free software out there for this purpose?

While it may not scan to exact specifications, most of the available C1/C2 error reporting software, used with a drive that returns believable reports, would be a start.

That is, K-Probe with Liteon, CDSPEED with many drives that it can do error scans with.

Since it is certainly possible to produce a CD that returns no C2 errors under this style of test, that should be your target - it's not guaranteed to meet more demanding specifications, but any CD showing more than a trivial amount of C2 is not to be trusted. C2 are not fatal errors, but they are the high water mark - next step after C2 is uncorrectable (audio loss, data possibly recovered by data block ECC).

Unlike DVD, where you will routinely see rates of second level (PIF) errors, you do not expect to register second level (C2) errors on a well written CD, though professional test equipment may disgree, so you must set a higher standard in self-testing using a standard PC drive with scan capability.

many of us here know the capabilities and limitations of almost all mastering/burning apps. so, tell us how [in what format etc] your recordings will be delivered to the cd pressing place. i suspect exact audio copy can do the job with its cd writer...but others will need to confirm

I may be missing the point, but I thought "Red book" basically referred to a standard Audio CD, so most programs that will create an audio CD compilation should do it.

In the case of Nero, you would also fill in fields that you may not have bothered with, to make it look more professional.
Copyright, Producer, date, Comments - and it may be possible to create an unofficial UPC code that would do for private catalogueing - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Product_Code (about UPC)

Or if making these for sale, using a purchased UPC code - eg. http://www.panartist.com/upc.htm (first example I found) which can be barcoded onto the case label and would be compatible with stores would be a good idea. Some duplicators provide one with your order.

right on. I have to burn the cd exactly as it will be duplicated. it seems sort of ridiculous to me--getting your cd duplicated onto CD-R's is bad, but getting your cd replicated onto CD-ROM's, burt from a glass master made from your CD-R, is good. Anyway, I've made disc-at-once CD's with nero that will not play on all players. I've had booking agents call me saying the CD won't play. That is where RedBook comes in. It is the standard that was created for all CD players over a decade ago, so if you burn it RedBook, onto a CD-ROM, it will play in all players. the problem is you have to have the TOC burnt within specific frames and the songs have to start and end on specific frames and I don't really understand all of it. to have it done for me costs about $150. This isn't even to sell - its just for a demo to send to clubs and radio stations, etc. If I can figure out how to do it, I will save myself this trouble many times in the future. Or I can just pay someone else to do it, which I am seriously starting to consider. But yeah, if I send it to the place wrong I might end up with 300 coasters, and that Burrrn program doesn't exactly ease my concerns. and the CDSPEED program crashed my computer nasty. I appreciate the help, though. at this point I am either going to shell out the $99 for software that is made for this (WaveLab essentials) which-most importantly-comes with a manual, or I am going to shell out the $150 to get it done, which is what 99% of people do anyway. Maybe I'm just taking the DIY thing a bit too far.